Coronavirus Florida: DeSantis wants nursing home visits to resume — but not yet

Thursday

May 14, 2020 at 9:31 AM

Family members have been barred for two months from visiting loved ones at Florida’s 4,400 nursing homes. Gov. Ron DeSantis said that’s got to change.

With nursing homes in Florida still among the hottest spots for COVID-19 cases and deaths, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he is looking ahead to allowing visitors to again meet with residents — but only under a host of new conditions.

On-the-spot testing for family members, along with masks, gowns and gloves for any visitor entering a long-term care center would be among just some of the steps needed in a state where about one-third of the state’s 1,827 deaths from the virus involve residents and staff at nursing homes.

Family members have been barred for two months from visiting parents, grandparents and others at Florida’s 4,400 nursing homes. DeSantis said that’s got to change.

But, he conceded, not yet.

“My view has been, I want to get to ‘yes’ on that,” DeSantis said. “I just want to be able to know that we have procedures in place that if someone goes to visit their mother, that two weeks later we’re not going to have 50 infections.”

Coronavirus cases at nursing homes and the grim death toll are relatively better in Florida than many Northeast states. Still, for more than a month, DeSantis blocked the release of information on deaths at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, until Gannett and other news organizations sued to obtain records.

But the governor has taken steps to shield the vulnerable elder population, banning the transfer of patients from hospitals to nursing homes unless they were tested free of the virus. The Florida National Guard has led 50 strike teams that has conducted 32,000 tests of residents and staff at nursing homes, and a new COVID-19 isolation facility has been established at a Jacksonville long-term care center, with another set to open soon in Miami-Dade County, DeSantis said.

The state also has sent 10 million masks, 1 million gloves, 160,000 gowns and other personal protection equipment for use at nursing homes, which house 150,000 residents in Florida and have 200,000 staff members.

“People need to continue (with safety precautions) into the foreseeable future,” said Steve Bahmer, president and CEO of Leading Age, a nursing home and continuing care association.

He said staff and administrators have been improvising with technology, activities, games and distanced communication between families and residents.

“We are acutely aware of the profound effects of social isolation,” he said.

Still, the protocols the governor said are needed to reopen nursing homes to visitors remain likely weeks away from being in place. DeSantis, though, said there is a clear cost to the current ban.

“We do want to get the families back together with their loved ones,” he said. “It’s very important. We obviously have to put safety first. But this separation — human beings are not meant to be separated — particularly family members and our residents as they get older. These are important moments.”

The Florida Department of Health reported another 481 cases of the coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the state’s toll to 42,404 to date. Another 48 deaths in the past day brought to 1,827 the fatalities caused by the virus. Manatee County has had 806 total cases, with 75 deaths, and Sarasota County 440, with 57 deaths.

DeSantis has touted the state’s focus on testing, with the 23,908 tests reported Monday proving a new daily record for Florida. But that level fell back to 16,509 Tuesday, to about half of what epidemiologists say should be the state’s daily goal for containing the virus, which amounts to testing almost 32,000 people each day.

With 65 of the state’s 67 counties now in an early stage of reopening, DeSantis said he still had not decided when to allow Broward and Miami-Dade counties to join the ranks. The two counties account for 48% of the state’s cases and 43% of deaths from COVID-19.

County officials are beginning to map out plans for reopening.

“I think that they’re proceeding thoughtfully, so we’ll have a decision on that very soon,” DeSantis said.

This story originally published to heraldtribune.com and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the new Gannett Media network.